Examining ships that have made an impact on Naval Warfare and Naval History.

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Hello out there! The purpose of this blog is to spread the word that Naval History is interesting and worth knowing. After searching the net, I couldn't find a single place that dealt solely with the subject of Naval Warfare, so I decided to create one. I will be posting pictures and text of various ships and will then describe what part those ships played in Naval Warfare and Naval History. For anyone interested in these subjects, I hope this will be your new home. Every Tuesday a new ship will be posted and each month I'll have a "Ship of the Month" displayed at the bottom of the blog. Both famous and not-so-famous ships will be highlighted. But what they all have in common is that, in some small way, they made an impact on Naval Warfare and Naval History. I think it's a historical lesson worth reading. I also hope you like what you see and I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for dropping by.

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This blog was created by Remo. I have been forced to close my "Comments" section due to the enormous amount of spam that is being sent to it. I just can't keep up with it anymore, so I decided to end the comments. People who flood blogs with spam are jerks and should be ashamed of themselves. Anyway, if you want to contact me, e-mail me at Libertyship46@aol.com. On balance, I get less spam via my e-mail account than in the "Comments" section of the blog. So if you want to make a comment, send me an e-mail. Other readers on the blog will not be able to see it, but at least I'll have some contact with the outside world! Thank you.

Figure 4: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) dressed with flags for a holiday or other special occasion, circa the 1910s. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 5: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) dry docked at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, on 5 February 1918. Note that the ship's hull is sheathed and coppered at and below the waterline, to reduce the need for dry docking while operating on distant stations. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 8: Ship's racing boat crew celebrates with cigars after a victory, circa 1913. Note the coiled line and decorated broom and mop handles. Seaman Hubert C. Rickert is seated in center holding the mop, just to the right of the cigar box. Collection of Hubert C. Rickert, courtesy of Daniel Rickert, 1981. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

The 3,200-ton USS Denver (Cruiser No. 14) was the lead ship in a class of six “protected cruisers,” which were ships that possessed armor protection for their main deck but not for the sides of the ship. Also known as “Peace Cruisers,” these slow, lightly-armed and armored ships were never meant for fleet actions. They were used as gunboats with the Asiatic Fleet and in the waters off Central America and South America, as well as in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Because they were needed to patrol distant waters with little support, the Denver class ships were furnished with sails to extend their cruising range while economizing on coal, but they also had large coal bunkers, which increased their range and endurance. Their steel hulls were sheathed with pine and coppered for long service in tropical waters and they possessed roomy, well-ventilated quarters for their crews to ease the discomfort of sailing in hot climates. Each Denver class warship had a two-and-one-half-inch-thick armored deck and all of them were armed with ten 5-inch rapid-fire guns. USS Denver was built by the Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was commissioned 17 May 1904. She was approximately 308 feet long and 44 feet wide, had a top speed of 16 knots, and had a crew of 339 officers and men.

After she was commissioned, Denver spent almost three years patrolling the Atlantic coast of the United States and the Caribbean. She served as a traditional gunboat, protecting American lives and property in the West Indies, and acted as a training ship for midshipmen from the US Naval Academy in the summer of 1906. Denver also participated in the Fleet Review off Oyster Bay, Long Island, for President Theodore Roosevelt in September 1906.

On 18 May 1907, Denver left New York to join the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines. She went via the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, and on to Cavite in the Philippines, arriving on 1 August. Denver visited ports throughout China and Japan and remained with the Asiatic Fleet until 1 January 1910, when she was ordered back to the United States. Denver arrived on 15 February at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, and was decommissioned on 12 March. She was placed in reserve commission on 4 January 1912 and was fully re-commissioned on 15 July for service in the Pacific Ocean.

From 1912 to 1917, Denver’s area of operations ranged from San Francisco all the way south to Panama. She made many stops along the coasts of Mexico and Nicaragua, two countries that were involved in almost constant political turmoil. Denver was responsible for protecting American lives and property in these troubled nations and assisted in evacuating US citizens when necessary. From 6 December 1916 to 30 March 1917, Denver also conducted a survey of the Gulf of Fonesca on the coast of Nicaragua. The ship then was transferred to the Caribbean and on 10 April 1917 arrived at Key West, Florida. She was assigned to patrol duties between Key West, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

During World War I, Denver was sent to New York. She arrived on 22 July 1917 and began escorting merchant convoys originating from either New York or Norfolk, Virginia. The convoys steamed to a mid-Atlantic meeting point where American or British destroyers took over control of the convoy and escorted the merchant ships to ports in either England or France. During the war, Denver escorted eight convoys in this manner. After the war ended, Denver began patrolling off the east coast of South America on 5 December 1918 and returned to New York on 4 June 1919. From 7 July 1919 to 27 September 1921, Denver sailed between New York and San Francisco and spent much time in the Panama Canal Zone and operating off the coasts of Central America. Denver was re-classified PG-28 on 7 July 1920 and then CL-16 on 8 August 1921.

During the summer of 1922, Denver carried the President of Liberia back to his country after he visited the United States. On 9 October 1922, Denver returned to the Canal Zone and remained there for eight years, based at Cristobal. She patrolled along both coasts of Central America, guarding American interests, transporting various officials, and paying courtesy calls to numerous ports in the area. This routine, though, was broken by occasional visits to Boston, Massachusetts, for overhauls. From 20 November to 18 December 1922, Denver carried relief supplies to earthquake and tidal wave victims in Chile and from November 1925 to June 1926, Denver served the Special Commission on Boundaries and carried dignitaries from Chile to the United States or the Canal Zone.

From 14 to 19 February 1929, Denver participated in ceremonies held at Havana, Cuba, commemorating the sinking of the battleship Maine. She returned to Philadelphia on 25 December 1930 and was decommissioned on 14 February 1931. USS Denver was sold for scrapping on 13 September 1933.

Figure 2: Photograph, somewhat retouched, of USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) taken during the Civil War era, while the ship was carrying full sail rig. Courtesy of the US Marine Corps Historical Center, Personal Papers Section: Collection of Henry Clay Cochrane. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 6: Nineteenth century photograph of a watercolor sketch, depicting USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) off Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863, with her sides showing the effects of several engagements with Confederate artillery. The original photographic print is inscribed "With Compliments of W.S. Wells (Late) U.S. Navy." US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 7: "Charleston Harbor, Looking towards the City." Line engraving published in Harper's Weekly, January-June 1863, pages 264-65, depicting the Federal fleet off the harbor mouth at the time of the ironclads' attack on Fort Sumter, 7 April 1863. US Navy ships specifically identified include New Ironsides (second from left in the ironclad formation) and Keokuk (ironclad furthest to the right). US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 8: "Panoramic View of Charleston Harbor -- Advance of Ironclads to the Attack, April 7th, 1863." Line engraving published in The Soldier in our Civil War, Volume II, page 172, with a key to individual ships and land features shown. US Navy ships present are (from left to center): Keokuk, Nahant, Nantucket, Catskill, New Ironsides, Patapsco, Montauk, Passaic and Weehawken. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 9: "The Iron-Clad Frigate New Ironsides and Two Ericsson Batteries going into action at Charleston." Hand-tinted copy of a line engraving by Smyth, depicting USS New Ironsides and two monitors in action at Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1863. Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, DC. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 10: Fort Fisher Operation, December 1864 -- January 1865. Ships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron departing Hampton Roads, Virginia, en route to attack Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in December 1864. The ships present are (from left to right): A twin-turret monitor, probably USS Monadnock; USS New Ironsides and a steam sloop of war. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 11: "The Bombardment of Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865." Engraving by T. Shussler, after an artwork by J.O. Davidson, published in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. It depicts ships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron bombarding Fort Fisher, North Carolina, prior to the ground assault that captured the fortification. Identifiable ships include: USS Monadnock (twin-turret monitor in the right center); USS Vanderbilt (gray two-stack side-wheel steamer in right foreground); and USS New Ironsides (at the right end of the main battle line). US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 12: "Bombardment of Fort Fisher," 15 January 1865. Lithograph after a drawing by T.F. Laycock, published by Endicott & Co., New York, 1865, depicting the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron bombarding Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in preparation for its capture. The print is dedicated to Commodore S.W. Godon, USN. Collections of the Library of Congress. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 13: “Capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, 15 January 1865.” Watercolor by eyewitness Ensign John W. Grattan, of Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter's staff, depicting Porter's fleet bombarding the fort prior to the ground assault. Side-wheel steamer in the right foreground is Porter's flagship, USS Malvern. USS New Ironsides and USS Monadnock are in the right distance. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Grattan Collection. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 14: USS New Ironsides (1862-1866), left, and USS Monadnock (1864-1874), right foreground. Engraving published in Harper's Weekly, 3 February 1866 as part of a larger print entitled "The Iron-clad Navy of the United States.” Text printed below the image is in error concerning the date of New Ironsides' launch, which actually took place on 10 May 1862. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

The famous American frigate Constitution was given the nickname “Old Ironsides.” When the US Navy began building a new and powerful ironclad during the Civil War, a decision was made to give this warship the name USS New Ironsides, hoping that it would be as successful as its famous ancestor. The 4,120-ton broadside ironclad USS New Ironsides was built by Merrick & Sons at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 21 August 1862. The ship was approximately 232 feet long and 57 feet wide, had a top speed of 6 knots, and had a crew of 460 officers and men. New Ironsides was armed with two 150-pounder guns, two 50-pounder guns, 14 11-inch smooth-bore cannons, and two 12-pounders. Because it did not have a revolving turret, New Ironsides was considered a “broadside” ironclad and originally had a bark sail rig, but her masts were removed later on in her brief career and replaced with light poles. Although she was too slow for long-range sea duty, New Ironsides was a highly effective coastal warship that was practically invulnerable to enemy fire. The ship never reached her intended speed of 9.5 knots, but she was heavily armed and was very effective in bombarding stationery land targets.

After a lengthy fitting-out period, New Ironsides was assigned to the Union’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in January 1863. For approximately one year, she supported the blockade of Charleston, South Carolina, and was used to attack the Confederate forts located in and around that area. New Ironsides’ heavy broadside batteries on each side of the ship, along with her massive iron armor protection, made her extremely useful in this role.

New Ironsides’ first major attack on a Confederate fortification took place on 7 April 1863, when nine Federal ironclads entered Charleston harbor and bombarded Fort Sumter. New Ironsides was hit many times by rebel cannon fire, but she was not seriously damaged, unlike several of the ironclads that sailed with her during the attack. Fort Sumter was almost pounded into rubble by the Union assault, but it didn’t fall and remained in Confederate hands. During the summer of 1863, New Ironsides assisted in the bombardment of Fort Wagner (also known as Battery Wagner) and was present when the Confederates abandoned the fort in 7 September 1863. During the siege of Fort Wagner, New Ironsides was attacked by a Confederate torpedo boat on 21 August, but was not damaged. But on the night of 5 October 1863, another enemy torpedo boat, CSS David, attacked and damaged the ironclad. However, New Ironsides was able to remain on station until May 1864, when she returned to Philadelphia for repairs and a general overhaul.

Once the overhaul was completed in August 1864, New Ironsides was assigned to the Union’s North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. In December, she participated in the massive Union assault on Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Although the attack was halted on Christmas day after a heavy bombardment of the fort, the Union warships resumed the assault in mid-January 1865. New Ironsides was one of the many Union warships that pounded the fort with cannon fire, paving the way for a Union ground assault that eventually captured the Confederate stronghold on 15 January. For the remaining months of the Civil War, New Ironsides supported the Union fleet in the Hampton Roads area. The ship was decommissioned in April 1865 and was placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. While anchored there, USS New Ironsides was accidently destroyed by a fire on 16 December 1866.

It is a pity that the US Navy could not preserve New Ironsides as a floating monument to the Ironclad Era of naval shipbuilding. She was a tough war veteran and the precursor to the modern-day battleship. But she was still able to do honor to the name that was given to her before she was destroyed, even though her ancestor and namesake, USS Constitution, the original “Old Ironsides,” is still afloat to this day, floating peacefully in Boston Harbor.

Figure 4: "Panoramic View of Charleston Harbor. Advance of Ironclads to the Attack, April 7th, 1863." Line engraving published in The Soldier in our Civil War, Volume II, page 172, with a key to individual ships and land features shown. US Navy ships present are (from left to center): Keokuk, Nahant, Nantucket, Catskill, New Ironsides, Patapsco, Montauk, Passaic and Weehawken. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after an island off the coast of Massachusetts, USS Nantucket was a 1,875-ton Passaic class coastal monitor that was built by the Atlantic Iron Works at Boston, Massachusetts, and was commissioned on 26 February 1863. The ship was approximately 200 feet long and 46 feet wide, had a top speed of 7 knots, and had a crew of 75 officers and men. Nantucket had a single turret that was armed with one 15-inch and one 11-inch Dahlgren smoothbore guns.

Shortly after being commissioned, Nantucket was assigned to the Union’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and patrolled off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. On 7 April 1863, Nantucket participated in the large Union naval assault on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The monitor was hit an amazing 51 times by Confederate gunfire during the attack and remained afloat. Unfortunately, the entire operation ended in failure, with the Union fleet withdrawing and the Confederate guns remaining in operation deep within the rubble of Fort Sumter. Nantucket steamed to Port Royal, South Carolina, for repairs but quickly returned to Charleston and supported Union Army attacks on Morris Island, firing on Fort Wagner (also known as Battery Wagner) from July to September 1863. Nantucket’s gunfire, and that of the other federal ironclads, played a key role in forcing the evacuation of Fort Wagner on 7 September. Nantucket continued firing on Confederate forts around Charleston Harbor for the rest of the Civil War. She also remained attached to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron for the duration of the war. She assisted in preventing Confederate monitors from steaming into the Charleston area and was useful in enforcing the Union blockade of the southern coastline. Once the Civil War ended, Nantucket was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 24 June 1865.

Nantucket remained “in ordinary,” or reserve, for the next ten years. She briefly was renamed Medusa on 15 June 1869, but went back to her old name, Nantucket, on 10 August 1869. The ship was transferred to the Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire, in 1875 and briefly was re-commissioned from 29 July to 12 December 1882 and from 16 June to 6 October 1884. She patrolled off the northeastern coast of the United States, but then was sent to New York where she was again placed in reserve. Nantucket was transferred to the North Carolina Naval Militia in 1895 and was based at Port Royal, South Carolina, during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Nantucket provided useful service during the war as a coastal defense ship. But monitors were rapidly becoming obsolete and, after the Spanish-American War ended, the ship was decommissioned for the last time. USS Nantucket was sold for scrapping on 14 November 1900.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Figure 1: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed off Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 2: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed off Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. She was completed with a main battery of four 5-inch guns. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 3: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed at her builder's yard at Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 4: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed at her builder's yard at Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. One of her two after 5-inch unshielded gun mounts and her seaplane crane are in the foreground. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 5: USCGC Half Moon (WAVP-378) arrives on Ocean Station Delta off the coast of Canada, 1 April 1965. US Coast Guard photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 8: USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378) underway off the coast of Vietnam, date unknown. US Coast Guard photograph from the Office of the US Coast Guard Historian. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 9: A US Coast Guard 82-foot patrol boat comes alongside USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378) for replenishment during Operation Market Time off the coast of South Vietnam. Photograph courtesy of Russ Worthington. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 10: USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378) patch while attached to Squadron Three off the coast of Vietnam. Photograph courtesy of John LeClair. Click on photograph for larger image.

Figure 11: USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378), probably towards the end of her career with the US Coast Guard. Photograph courtesy of Russ Worthington. Click on photograph for larger image.

NOTE: There is an excellent web site dedicated to the USCGC Half Moon and its crew: http://reocities.com/Pentagon/8917/

Named after a bay on the coast of California, the 1,766-ton USS Half Moon (AVP-26) was a Barnegat class small seaplane tender that was built by the Lake Washington Shipyards at Houghton, Washington, and was commissioned on 15 June 1943. Originally designed as a motor torpedo boat tender and designated AGP-6, Half Moon was re-designated AVP-26 on 1 May 1943 and converted into a small seaplane tender. The ship was approximately 311 feet long and 41 feet wide, had a top speed of 18 knots, and had a crew of 215 officers and men. Half Moon initially was armed with four 5-inch guns and several 40-mm and 20-mm guns, but her armament was reduced substantially later on in her career.

Half Moon left San Diego, California, in August 1943 and was assigned to the southwest Pacific. From October to December, Half Moon tended to seaplanes at Namoai Bay on Sariba Island, New Guinea. She also assisted seaplanes along the coast of New Guinea at Finshafen, Middleburg, and Morotai until October 1944. At times, Half Moon was used as a transport as well.

In October 1944, Half Moon left New Guinea and steamed to the Philippines, where she established a seaplane base on the eastern coast of Leyte Island. On 24 October, the ship witnessed the last major sea battle between surface fleets at the Battle of Surigao Strait. Since there was little a seaplane tender could do in a major fleet engagement, Half Moon remained off the coast of Leyte, well to the west of the ships fighting in the battle. After the battle, the ship resumed her seaplane-tending duties and remained in the Philippines until August 1945. Half Moon survived a typhoon while on her way to Okinawa in early September, but returned to the Philippines in October. On 7 November, Half Moon steamed back to the United States and arrived at Seattle, Washington, on 1 December 1945. On 12 April 1946, the ship was sent to San Diego and was decommissioned there on 4 September and placed in reserve.

In September 1948, Half Moon was refitted and transferred to the US Coast Guard and re-designated WAVP-378. Some of her modifications included the installment of oceanographic equipment, the renovation of the crew’s living spaces, and the addition of modern naval communications and radar equipment. Her large aviation gasoline storage tanks (which were used while she was a seaplane tender) were converted to hold diesel fuel for her engines. This extended the ship’s range significantly so that she could remain at sea for extended periods of time without refueling. Based at Staten Island, New York, Half Moon’s primary duties were to collect weather data in the Atlantic Ocean and to serve as a search and rescue ship when needed.

Half Moon served in the Atlantic as a floating weather station and search and rescue vessel throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s. On 1 May 1966, Half Moon was re-designated WHEC-378 and on 1 April 1967 she was ordered to join the US Seventh Fleet off the coast of Vietnam. Eighteen days after receiving her orders to leave for Southeast Asia, Half Moon left New York and joined five other high-endurance cutters that also were going to South Vietnam to form Coast Guard Squadron Three. Half Moon sailed from New York City to Panama and, after transiting the canal, went to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After being loaded with supplies and ammunition, the ship proceeded to Subic Bay, the Philippines, and then on to South Vietnam. Half Moon and the other ships in Squadron Three were assigned to Operation Market Time. Their primary duty was to prevent arms smugglers from infiltrating South Vietnam by sea. For this mission, Half Moon was armed with a 5-inch gun, heavy machine guns, and mortars. While patrolling off the coast of South Vietnam, Half Moon provided gunfire support to Army units on land with her 5-inch gun and her crew boarded and searched numerous vessels suspected of carrying contraband. The cutter also sank four sampans (killing 13 Viet Cong guerillas), damaged or destroyed 64 enemy military shore emplacements and structures, and acted as a support ship for the Navy’s 50-foot Swift Boats.

Half Moon left South Vietnam in December 1967 and arrived back in New York City on 22 January 1968. She resumed her duties as a weather ship and search and rescue vessel on 23 April 1968 and continued performing these duties until she was decommissioned in New York on 15 July 1969. The old warship eventually was sold for scrap on 20 April 1970.

Ship of the Month: USS Wandank

The 795-ton USS Wandank (AT-26) was an Algorma class fleet tug that was built by the Ferguson Steel and Iron Company at Buffalo, New York, and was commissioned on 23 March 1920. The ship was approximately 156 feet long and 30 feet wide, had a top speed of 13 knots, and had a crew of 25 officers and men. For roughly 20 years after being commissioned, Wandank worked along America’s east coast, primarily near her base at Norfolk, Virginia. In 1939, she assisted with the rescue and salvage efforts for the submarine USS Squalus (SS-192), which had accidently sunk off Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wandank then was based at Boston, Massachusetts, in October 1940 and remained there throughout World War II. Her designation was changed to ATO-26 in May of 1944. Wandank was decommissioned in September 1946 and in July 1947 was sold to a commercial firm in New Orleans, Louisiana, which operated her under the name of W.A. Bisso. The tug was scrapped in 1971 after being in service for 51 years. The photograph shows USS Wandank at Boston circa the later 1920s or early 1930s. USS Constitution is on the opposite side of the pier. US Naval Historical Center Photograph.